Homerton College Boat Club Captain James Burrows provides the details of a weekend of triumph on the water for Homerton's rowers.
The campaign for this term's bumps races really highlighted the standard of our top crews. Our W1 crew went up 1 place, and our M1 went up six places and gained blades! A huge performance from both crews!
Our W1 had a hard time being the sandwich boat between Division 1 and Division 2, meaning they raced seven times in total this Lents. They put in a strong performance, solidifying themselves as a force to be reckoned with. On Day One, the crew bumped Girton W1 just after Grassy Corner, placing them at the headship of Division 2. On Day Two, W1 rowed over in Division 1, giving St Catharine’s W1 a run for their money, but unfortunately falling short of the bump. Day Three saw Homerton doing two row overs, staying at the sandwich boat position. On Day Four, an exhausted crew was unfortunately bumped by Sidney Sussex W1 around Grassy Corner, pushing W1 back down to position 2. Sidney Sussex then proceeded to send Murray Edwards W1 down into Homerton’s sights for Day Five. Day Five saw a swift bump on Murray Edwards in the gut, sending Homerton back up into the top spot of Division 2. They finished off this gruelling Lents campaign with a row over, being denied a bump due to crews above them bumping out, but holding onto the top spot of Division 2. Next Lents, the Homerton Women will be eager to secure their spot in Division 1 for good.
Lucy Cole, the joint Women’s captain said: “I’m incredibly proud of how hard the crew worked this week, with challenging competition above and below us. We put our everything into this week, and our hard training this term paid off.”
Our M1 had a cracking performance bumping every day, including an overbump on Day Two! Day One saw a swift bump in under 300m on St Edmund’s M1, whilst being chased down by an eager Pembroke M2. On Day Two of racing, M1 was chasing First and Third (Trinity College) M2. First and Third had a quick bump on Wolfson M1 ahead of them, meaning M1 geared up for a long race, winding in Darwin M1 (three places above). After being several boat lengths away from Darwin coming around Grassy Corner, M1 held their nerve to secure the overbump halfway down the Long Reach. Day Three saw Homerton continue their bumping streak, with a bump on Hughes Hall M1 just before first post corner. On the final day, M1 was preparing for a hard race in order to earn their blades. After a rapid start, the crew managed to gain on Corpus Christi M1 ahead of them, bumping them in the gut, and gaining their ‘super’ blades. Homerton M1 was the only first men’s boat to obtain blades this year – to obtain blades, a crew must bump every day. The men’s squad will be keen to continue this bumping streak in the more prestigious May Bumps.
A huge effort from both teams, and very well done to them!
Zelna Weich, the head coach said: “The performance of HCBC this week has been incredible, putting Homerton back where it belongs amongst other College M1s. I'm so proud of each of the crew members. It's the culmination of a great deal of hard work this term and year. The wider community of alumni and our shared boat house at City have played an incredible supporting role, particularly Sebastian Fortienu. We are looking forward to building on this success next term and bringing M2 along with us.”
Both crews are now preparing to race on the tideway, tackling Women’s Eights Head of the River Race (WEHORR) and Head of the River Race (HORR) respectively. Although our M2 and W2 crews did not get onto this Lent’s bumps, they are gearing up to compete in the Talbot cup, where they can show off how far they have developed as crews during this term. Both crews are guaranteed spots on the May Bumps, so are eager to prove themselves then!
James Burrows, the overall club captain said: “I am immensely proud of the performance of our squads at Lent Bumps. Seeing the developments that the squads have made during this year has been incredible. Most of our members learned to cox and row at HCBC, with a couple of novices from Michaelmas term, joining the top squads. Now Lent Bumps are over, our sights are set firmly to the future. I know our lower boats are especially keen to prove themselves in the lead up to May Bumps. We are very eager to not let this be the highlight of our season, but a continuation of the upwards trajectory of our club!”
Glossary
Bump: If a boat manages to catch up to the boat in-front then they “bump” that boat (not always literally). Both crews then leave the race and make way for the rest of the division
Overbump: This situation occurs when the boat in front of your boat manages to bump the boat in front of them. Your boat can then only bump if they catch up to the crew that was initially three places in front.
Row over: This is when a boat neither bumps nor gets bumped and maintains its position in the division ranking.
Division: Each division consists of 18 crews which start in a line and are released at the same time.
Sandwich boat: A boat at the top of a division (except for the first division), that must row in both their current division and the division above. An extra challenging task, but the only way to move up a division.
Blade: A honour and trophy awarded to any team that bumps on all four days of the Lent Bumps races.
